???Piano Bar Question???

[momofzeke]

They reason I jumped in this thread was because of the original question. If this is going to be a discussion about a particular performer (who I’ve heard is very good), I’ll bow out now. If we are going to discuss piano bars in general, I’ll be happy to chime in :D !

 

This is the second time you've said pretty much the same thing. If you stick around here on CC, you'll find that threads can sometimes go off topic and cover a variety of different things. Sometimes it gets WAY off topic. :p

 

If it bothers you that people are discussing things other than the original question, then you can simply ignore the thread. ;)

[pmang]

tiggerloverQuote:

Originally Posted by pmang

Please.... don't feel like a "freeloader"! That is the last thing a performer would want to have the audience feeling!!!! We always remember someone who has given a good tip before. Yes, people do go out on a ship without cash…. There is no problem just sitting there having fun, singing along and helping to create that party mood. The performer wants a full room. You work your hardest when there are only 5 people there!!! If you want to make a request and don't have anything on you, get a drink for you and the performer. Do a shot together!!!! Have fun with it. It won’t work for the whole weeks worth of requests, but will make you a “buddy” of the player and you are now part of the “show”.

 

Just don’t have a list of songs you want played written down with nothing added ($$$). Realize that they will play the songs of the people who are “shooting at the hoop” with priority. The biggest thing is to have fun.

 

 

 

I really do thank you for the advice and I will put it to good use in January! Thanks for opening my eyes. I love a party atmosphere! :)

You're welcome... I hope you have a great cruise. Have fun in the piano bar! It can be the best place on the ship!

[Socref124]

 

Semper Fi Tiggerlover...

[ASONGULOVE]

Ok, time to clear the air.

 

First, I’d like to thank all those people who wrote me, and alerted me to this thread. I’d also like to thank those on this thread who called me a talented performer. It is immensely gratifiying, and why I do what I do.

 

Now, to the issue at hand.

 

This topic has been discussed dozens of times on these boards, and it never ceases to amaze us musicians that some posters feel such outrage at the idea that one should put a dollar bill on the piano when a request is made.

 

In ANY piano bar ANYWHERE, on sea or land, it is ALWAYS the custom, and quite frankly the expectation, that a request is accompanied by the appropriate amount of love from it’s author. The more love, the sooner the song is played. Otherwise, a person will wait until those requests that do have “inspiration” get to go first. That’s fair, right?

 

Now, in some piano bars, requests are played for free, but the jar is passed around the room every half hour for all audience members, those requesting as well as those simply listening, to contribute tips into. This is how piano players make their LIVING. And this second model is STRICTLY PROHIBITED at Carnival.

 

Now, to those posters who remarked about other Promenade and Lido performers who smiled and graciously played their requests without receiving any monies. These performers smiled and were gracious because they are fine, friendly, decent people. Every single one of them. They are also hard working, extremely talented performers. And they play all those shouted-out requests because they WANT TO. They WANT to please the audience, and receive the tip they so genuinely deserve. And again, ladies and gentlemen, the expectation is that for every request, there will be some kind of appropriate renumeration. But for these exceptional individuals, rarely is it so. This simply is fact. I know firsthand what these other performers make in tips, and it’s less than $100 a week on average, for all the dozens upon dozens of songs they are “asked” to play every night, all week long. Now, it might be so that all these posters on these threads who have said that they would indeed be the ones who would tip once their “suggestion” was played are all telling the truth, and would do so. But history simply does not bear this out. Most people do not tip for requests to these other performers. Somewhere, there is a disconnect.

 

I know full well that my show will not please everyone, nor do I try to. Only a fool, to paraphrase Barnum, will try to please all the people all of the time. But remember this - everyone is welcome to come to my show, drink, dance, sing, laugh, carouse and enjoy to their heart’s content, all night long, from start to finish, and NEVER SPEND A SINGLE DIME. However, once someone chooses to go from passive audience member to active participant, and offer up their own songs for performance rather than what the performer onstage is doing (something, which incidentally, would get a person thrown out at the local theater or symphony or rock concert) then yes, this is a different matter. I have NEVER "demanded" that someone give me anything to enjoy my show. No one is forced to make song requests at my show. And to answer the question about what happens when there are no requests - that is what we're paid for - to play uptempo, party songs that will entertain EVERYONE. Occasionally, we will play the Britney Spears song, or FEELINGS or YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE, to remind the crowd that their requests are also welcome rather than having us pick EVERY song...

 

So yes, it is our job to keep the party going, to decide what songs will please the most number of people, and keep the joint rockin. On average, I have between 100-150 a night at my cruise ship shows, and even more on land. For every person that wants to interrupt the show with the song they want to hear, there is someone else who wants something else.

 

And, finally, I’d like to settle one gross misconception that has gotten way out of hand. This “$5 a song” and “$10 a song” anger that has run rampant here has been misquoted, and unfairly attributed. For the poster who claims that at 11pm I ever asked for $10 a song, this is SIMPLY UNTRUE.

 

However, for performers like Ron Pass and myself, we work a four hour show, every night, with NO BREAKS, NO STOPS, and NO REST. That’s FOUR HOURS STRAIGHT of singing and playing. No trips to the bathroom. No smoke breaks. No phone calls. And to any of you who thinks that sounds easy, or slight, try it once. Just once. It is no small feat. The better performers merely make it look easy.

 

After four straight hours, our commitment to Carnival for the day is over, and we are now on our own time. And for us, we are only too happy to keep the show going, for even more additional hours, to play more songs for more new friends. But, to overstate the obvious, we DO NOT GET PAID A SINGLE PENNY MORE FROM CARNIVAL FOR THIS. After 1am, it is OUR TIME. And, for those audience members who want the show to continue into the late hours of the morning, there is an increased expectation of what requests will be. After four full hours of performance, a dollar bill is simply no longer worth it for the fatigue, throat damage and exhaustion that are incurred. And yes, after five straight hours, even Abraham Lincoln starts to look a little old. Again, for those audience members who think these are unreasonable expectations, no one HAS TO put any money on the piano at that point. We are only too happy to end the show, and call it a night and come back tomorrow and rock out one more time. But for those individuals who want the show to continue for a SIXTH STRAIGHT HOUR (try that on Broadway, the Opera, or at a Bon Jovi show...) is ten dollars really so outrageous?

 

I know that nothing I say will sway some people. That’s life, and free choice. But I am buoyed by the tens of thousands of people who come to my shows each and every year, both onboard ships, as well as in Times Square, the Vegas Strip, and everywhere inbetween, and come back again and again to see the show they love.

 

PS - to PMANG's comment about buying us drinks for songs, as anyone who knows me knows, this is always the fastest way to a piano players heart (and to getting your song played NEXT!)

[tiggerlover]

Ok, time to clear the air.

 

First, I’d like to thank all those people who wrote me, and alerted me to this thread. I’d also like to thank those on this thread who called me a talented performer. It is immensely gratifiying, and why I do what I do.

 

Now, to the issue at hand.

 

This topic has been discussed dozens of times on these boards, and it never ceases to amaze us musicians that some posters feel such outrage at the idea that one should put a dollar bill on the piano when a request is made.

 

In ANY piano bar ANYWHERE, on sea or land, it is ALWAYS the custom, and quite frankly the expectation, that a request is accompanied by the appropriate amount of love from it’s author. The more love, the sooner the song is played. Otherwise, a person will wait until those requests that do have “inspiration” get to go first. That’s fair, right?

 

Now, in some piano bars, requests are played for free, but the jar is passed around the room every half hour for all audience members, those requesting as well as those simply listening, to contribute tips into. This is how piano players make their LIVING. And this second model is STRICTLY PROHIBITED at Carnival.

 

Now, to those posters who remarked about other Promenade and Lido performers who smiled and graciously played their requests without receiving any monies. These performers smiled and were gracious because they are fine, friendly, decent people. Every single one of them. They are also hard working, extremely talented performers. And they play all those shouted-out requests because they WANT TO. They WANT to please the audience, and receive the tip they so genuinely deserve. And again, ladies and gentlemen, the expectation is that for every request, there will be some kind of appropriate renumeration. But for these exceptional individuals, rarely is it so. This simply is fact. I know firsthand what these other performers make in tips, and it’s less than $100 a week on average, for all the dozens upon dozens of songs they are “asked” to play every night, all week long. Now, it might be so that all these posters on these threads who have said that they would indeed be the ones who would tip once their “suggestion” was played are all telling the truth, and would do so. But history simply does not bear this out. Most people do not tip for requests to these other performers. Somewhere, there is a disconnect.

 

I know full well that my show will not please everyone, nor do I try to. Only a fool, to paraphrase Barnum, will try to please all the people all of the time. But remember this - everyone is welcome to come to my show, drink, dance, sing, laugh, carouse and enjoy to their heart’s content, all night long, from start to finish, and NEVER SPEND A SINGLE DIME. However, once someone chooses to go from passive audience member to active participant, and offer up their own songs for performance rather than what the performer onstage is doing (something, which incidentally, would get a person thrown out at the local theater or symphony or rock concert) then yes, this is a different matter. I have NEVER "demanded" that someone give me anything to enjoy my show. No one is forced to make song requests at my show. And to answer the question about what happens when there are no requests - that is what we're paid for - to play uptempo, party songs that will entertain EVERYONE. Occasionally, we will play the Britney Spears song, or FEELINGS or YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE, to remind the crowd that their requests are also welcome rather than having us pick EVERY song...

 

So yes, it is our job to keep the party going, to decide what songs will please the most number of people, and keep the joint rockin. On average, I have between 100-150 a night at my cruise ship shows, and even more on land. For every person that wants to interrupt the show with the song they want to hear, there is someone else who wants something else.

 

And, finally, I’d like to settle one gross misconception that has gotten way out of hand. This “$5 a song” and “$10 a song” anger that has run rampant here has been misquoted, and unfairly attributed. For the poster who claims that at 11pm I ever asked for $10 a song, this is SIMPLY UNTRUE.

 

However, for performers like Ron Pass and myself, we work a four hour show, every night, with NO BREAKS, NO STOPS, and NO REST. That’s FOUR HOURS STRAIGHT of singing and playing. No trips to the bathroom. No smoke breaks. No phone calls. And to any of you who thinks that sounds easy, or slight, try it once. Just once. It is no small feat. The better performers merely make it look easy.

 

After four straight hours, our commitment to Carnival for the day is over, and we are now on our own time. And for us, we are only too happy to keep the show going, for even more additional hours, to play more songs for more new friends. But, to overstate the obvious, we DO NOT GET PAID A SINGLE PENNY MORE FROM CARNIVAL FOR THIS. After 1am, it is OUR TIME. And, for those audience members who want the show to continue into the late hours of the morning, there is an increased expectation of what requests will be. After four full hours of performance, a dollar bill is simply no longer worth it for the fatigue, throat damage and exhaustion that are incurred. And yes, after five straight hours, even Abraham Lincoln starts to look a little old. Again, for those audience members who think these are unreasonable expectations, no one HAS TO put any money on the piano at that point. We are only too happy to end the show, and call it a night and come back tomorrow and rock out one more time. But for those individuals who want the show to continue for a SIXTH STRAIGHT HOUR (try that on Broadway, the Opera, or at a Bon Jovi show...) is ten dollars really so outrageous?

 

I know that nothing I say will sway some people. That’s life, and free choice. But I am buoyed by the tens of thousands of people who come to my shows each and every year, both onboard ships, as well as in Times Square, the Vegas Strip, and everywhere inbetween, and come back again and again to see the show they love.

 

PS - to PMANG's comment about buying us drinks for songs, as anyone who knows me knows, this is always the fastest way to a piano players heart (and to getting your song played NEXT!)

 

 

I am the OP and I gave you credit for being a talented performer. I think you missed the point. THE PROBLEM IS NOT TIPPING! IT IS THE INCESSANT BEGGING AND REPEATED INSTRUCTION TO WRAP A $5 BILL AROUND YOUR REQUEST. Also, I just wondered what the difference was between tipping the performers at the various venues, as this was only my second trip to a Piano Bar. PMANG was most helpful in answering my questions and I feel I have a better understanding of it now. Never did I say that we didn't want to tip or that we didn't tip, only that the constant begging/demanding got old quick. I stand by all my posts and feel your show is not for me, and I also have a saying " A fool and his money are soon parted", and as for me and your show IMHO, I am not a fool! I wish you well in all your endeavors and may you find the $$$ that you feel you so richly deserve. :)

[tiggerlover]

 

Semper Fi Tiggerlover...

 

 

My SIL is a SGT in the USMC. The picture in my signature is of my granddaughter Rylynn. She is a treasure! :o)

 

Semper Fi!

[ASONGULOVE]

again, no ever instructed anyone to "wrap a $5 around their request".

[tiggerlover]

I, as well as several others, personally witnessed this, several times!!!:eek:

[gidget12]

I am the OP and I gave you credit for being a talented performer. I think you missed the point. THE PROBLEM IS NOT TIPPING! IT IS THE INCESSANT BEGGING AND REPEATED INSTRUCTION TO WRAP A $5 BILL AROUND YOUR REQUEST. Also, I just wondered what the difference was between tipping the performers at the various venues, as this was only my second trip to a Piano Bar. PMANG was most helpful in answering my questions and I feel I have a better understanding of it now. Never did I say that we didn't want to tip or that we didn't tip, only that the constant begging/demanding got old quick. I stand by all my posts and feel your show is not for me, and I also have a saying " A fool and his money are soon parted", and as for me and your show IMHO, I am not a fool! I wish you well in all your endeavors and may you find the $$$ that you feel you so richly deserve. :)

 

 

Tiggerlover,

 

I totally agree with you, and I respectfully disagree with the other poster on a couple of issues.

1. Tipping is not madatory,and we have mentioned several times that we do tip and mostly we OVER tip.

2. I have never been to a piano bar that passes the hat like a church offering, nor would I stay in one. That is T*A*C*K*Y!!

3. An occassional plug for a tip is usually sufficient for the crowd, or even a ONE time suggestion for a drink is enough to get the crowd going. Most adults (even those who are drinking) don't need constant reminders (like every other song). The constant "reminding" was the point that turned everyone off. The basketball hoop and obvious tip jar really speaks for its self.

4. If four hours is too much work ???? No bath room break? No drink break? Wah Wah Wah. ha ha. (just kidding) Quit whining. We stand in the operating room for 10 to 12 hours at a time without any breaks!! No one tips us!! ha ha. Maybe we need our own tip jar. I should suggest a tip before the patient is given general anesthesia. (Just kidding) But honestly no one feels sorry for your 4 hour long shift!! The patrons on the cruise have worked hard all year and only want to be entertained, you can suffer thru 4 long grueling hours. ha ha

 

 

This was our experience on the Glory the week of October 11, 2008 that the piano bar was a total bust. The Piano singer/entertainer....was a great singer/piano player and we would have spent many hours there and many $$ in tips (as I said before) had it not been for the constant tip groveling. We even tried back on a couple different occasions and it got worse, not better. This was our experience, It really HAPPENED as stated. Look at my many other posts on this site as well as trip advisor. I am not a complainer. I am "singing" the praises of places we visit and people who work there.

 

Enjoy your cruises and tip at will.

[gidget12]

I am the OP and I gave you credit for being a talented performer. I think you missed the point. THE PROBLEM IS NOT TIPPING! IT IS THE INCESSANT BEGGING AND REPEATED INSTRUCTION TO WRAP A $5 BILL AROUND YOUR REQUEST. Also, I just wondered what the difference was between tipping the performers at the various venues, as this was only my second trip to a Piano Bar. PMANG was most helpful in answering my questions and I feel I have a better understanding of it now. Never did I say that we didn't want to tip or that we didn't tip, only that the constant begging/demanding got old quick. I stand by all my posts and feel your show is not for me, and I also have a saying " A fool and his money are soon parted", and as for me and your show IMHO, I am not a fool! I wish you well in all your endeavors and may you find the $$$ that you feel you so richly deserve. :)

 

[quote=ASONGULOVE;16874507]again, no ever instructed anyone to "wrap a $5 around their request".

LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE!!! WE WERE THERE!! NOT ONLY DID YOU TELL US, YOU GAVE A DEMONSTRATION ON HOW TO DO IT CORRECTLY. NICE TRY. :(

[CwuzCwazy]

To ASONGULOVE:

 

Nice try at a self defense here, but you failed. Many folks on the recent Glory Cruise (and on this board) were annoyed with your incessant solicitation of tips....it's not the fact that you shouldn't get tips...it's how you go about it. And to ignore a request because a tip was not attached is just plain tacky. No other Piano Bar entertainer on Carnival does it this way, and neither should you. They take requests, play the songs, sing, invite the crowd to sing along, and then in most cases they are rewarded.

 

Quite frankly I find your approach offensive. As far as talent is concerned, I think you are a good entertainer, play the piano well, but your singing is average as far as piano players go...so don't get too full of yourself and use that as your justification for your tacky approach. In fact, you are the first Carnival Piano Bar entertainer that I have never tipped (because I was offended by your approach), and I have seen many of them in our extensive cruising experience.

 

So, if you can stand some self criticism, you might want to re-evaluate your approach. Try to stand on your talent and stop pi$$ing people off...( in addition to lying about your approach that various posters have witnessed and commented on), see what happens.

[Lilmatcat]

Damian Brell is in the piano bar on the Destiny right now and he is fabulous!!! The tips are flying in there right now because he is really entertaining the crowd.

 

Not only is he able to play a bunch of crowd favorites, but he has a number of original songs that he executes with passion. I wish I was sailing again this week so I could hear him play all over again.

[BigSamRocks]

I have been on many cruises... mostly on Carnival, but other lines as well. The piano bar is one of my favorite stops. I agree that Carnival piano bars are unique in that the entertainer and the patrons are engaged in an intimate exchange. This allows the entertainer to "get away" with some things other entertainers on the ship cannot... back and forth banter, playful teasing and joking, silly antics, conversation, drinking with the patrons. I guess this is one reason CCL let's the piano bar have a tip jar while other entertainers cannot.

 

In any case, it takes finesse and class for the entertainer to find the sweet spot in tip solicitation. If he's too passive, he loses income. If he's too aggressive, he turns people off (as you can see from the above conversation). Last year I sailed with Ron Pass on the Freedom in the Caribbean. He's an example of someone who can assertively but TACTFULLY coax the green stuff out of people's wallets without offending them (although he does get a bit more pushy toward the end of the night as the martinis flow). A friendly reminder and a wink and a smile send the message to the patrons pretty clearly.

[rickybob]

To ASONGULOVE:

 

Nice try at a self defense here, but you failed. Many folks on the recent Glory Cruise (and on this board) were annoyed with your incessant solicitation of tips....it's not the fact that you shouldn't get tips...it's how you go about it. And to ignore a request because a tip was not attached is just plain tacky. No other Piano Bar entertainer on Carnival does it this way, and neither should you. They take requests, play the songs, sing, invite the crowd to sing along, and then in most cases they are rewarded.

 

Quite frankly I find your approach offensive. As far as talent is concerned, I think you are a good entertainer, play the piano well, but your singing is average as far as piano players go...so don't get too full of yourself and use that as your justification for your tacky approach. In fact, you are the first Carnival Piano Bar entertainer that I have never tipped (because I was offended by your approach), and I have seen many of them in our extensive cruising experience.

 

So, if you can stand some self criticism, you might want to re-evaluate your approach. Try to stand on your talent and stop pi$$ing people off...( in addition to lying about your approach that various posters have witnessed and commented on), see what happens.

 

I too witnessed his demostration on how to wrap a $5.00 bill around a request. I also witnessed someone giving him $5.00 to play a song and someone else gave him more than $5.00 to play something else. He kept the origianl $5.00 without playing their song. He seemed to spend more time begging for tips than playing the piano. I felt very uncomfortable, therefore, I left. There is so much more fun things to do on the ship than listening to a rude piano player. As far as his 4 hour commitment to Carnival, I wish would have had a job where I only had to commit to 4 hours. All the other workers put in much more than 4 hours while doing different jobs each day. I think he needs to look for a different vocation.

[LHP]

A subject along the same line.... Yhony (cave-tubing.com) had some guides who were making people uncomfortable with their "tipping requests". They certainly did not mean to. That was not their intention. And they did a great job and had certainly earned the tip. But the way they went about it was incorrect.

 

So I talked with Yhony about it because it was costing him business on the Cruise Critic boards. The guides changed their approach. When hubby and oldest son floated with them....the tip was handled appropriately. No more feeling uncomfortable. Their intent was good...but their approach was off.

 

Perhaps it is the same with this. It could be that while the intent is innocent....perhaps the approach needs some tweeking.

 

And I can imagine that if "the tipping bit" is being done in "fun", late at night, after a few drinks....that it would be easy to get carried away.

 

So perhaps some tweeking by the entertainer and some understanding from us who are learning the ropes (and love living vicariously through them) will do the trick!!! What's wrong with making a joke out of it....like the Soup Guy on Seinfeld. The piano guy says " no song for you"...

the cruiser says "no money for you".

And everyone laughs....hey it works on tv!!!! :D

[cruise crazy64]

My Mother and I will be on the Inspiration Dec 6-13. Does anyone know who the entertainer in that piano bar is or if they are any good? This will be my Mother's first cruise and I've never actually gone to a piano bar so this might be something we may want to check out.

 

Karen, FL :cool:

[tiger belle]

 

In any case, it takes finesse and class for the entertainer to find the sweet spot in tip solicitation. If he's too passive, he loses income. If he's too aggressive, he turns people off

 

very well said, Big Sam...I work in the charitable fundraising sector, and the same holds true for asking for a gift...too passive and you won't be successful, but too aggressive and you turn donors off

 

Mark should take the feedback in this thread in what I think was the spirit intended--just passengers wanting to express their reactions and motivation...like with a donor, you need to know your audience and what motivates them--maybe try to see what happens with a little less aggressive approach--maybe it will end up being more successful than the more assertive one

[Sandgnat]

To ASONGULOVE:

 

Nice try at a self defense here, but you failed. Many folks on the recent Glory Cruise (and on this board) were annoyed with your incessant solicitation of tips....it's not the fact that you shouldn't get tips...it's how you go about it. And to ignore a request because a tip was not attached is just plain tacky. No other Piano Bar entertainer on Carnival does it this way, and neither should you. They take requests, play the songs, sing, invite the crowd to sing along, and then in most cases they are rewarded.

 

Quite frankly I find your approach offensive. As far as talent is concerned, I think you are a good entertainer, play the piano well, but your singing is average as far as piano players go...so don't get too full of yourself and use that as your justification for your tacky approach. In fact, you are the first Carnival Piano Bar entertainer that I have never tipped (because I was offended by your approach), and I have seen many of them in our extensive cruising experience.

 

So, if you can stand some self criticism, you might want to re-evaluate your approach. Try to stand on your talent and stop pi$$ing people off...( in addition to lying about your approach that various posters have witnessed and commented on), see what happens.

Well said. I was also on the October 11th, Glory cruise. To say that it was offensive is putting it small. We were shown a demostration on how to wrap the "tip" of a minimum of $5.00 around the "request", a "suggestion" he told us was not wrapped and would not be performed.

 

I just returned from the Destiny a few hours ago. Damian the Piano player was fantastic. The bar was hopping every night. He never went without a drink on the piano and "lots" of money was being tossed on the piano. I would book a cruise on a ship just to hear him again. I know the rest of our group is there listening to him tonight and it saddens me that I could not do both legs of the cruise.

[tiggerlover]

A subject along the same line.... Yhony (cave-tubing.com) had some guides who were making people uncomfortable with their "tipping requests". They certainly did not mean to. That was not their intention. And they did a great job and had certainly earned the tip. But the way they went about it was incorrect.

 

So I talked with Yhony about it because it was costing him business on the Cruise Critic boards. The guides changed their approach. When hubby and oldest son floated with them....the tip was handled appropriately. No more feeling uncomfortable. Their intent was good...but their approach was off.

 

Perhaps it is the same with this. It could be that while the intent is innocent....perhaps the approach needs some tweeking.

 

And I can imagine that if "the tipping bit" is being done in "fun", late at night, after a few drinks....that it would be easy to get carried away.

 

So perhaps some tweeking by the entertainer and some understanding from us who are learning the ropes (and love living vicariously through them) will do the trick!!! What's wrong with making a joke out of it....like the Soup Guy on Seinfeld. The piano guy says " no song for you"...

the cruiser says "no money for you".

And everyone laughs....hey it works on tv!!!! :D

 

 

This is one of the comparisons I was making when I referenced Belize. The DIFFERENCE is that Yhonny & the boys earned their tip for services rendered, while on our cruise the Piano guy repeatedly failed to complete a song without stopping to offer instructions on how to "suggest" or "request,$5" a song. The ambience just wasn't there and I felt no connection with his performance, only embarrassment for the constant pleading. He would start playing and then STOP in the middle of a song to further instruct everyone of what needed to be done for him to keep playing, and I am NOT talking about either suggestions or requests, either, I mean songs of his choosing. It was very hard to get and stay in the party mood with the frequent start & stop of his show.

I feel his response on this board was arrogant and if you read the posts, it wasn't just my comment, or other people sailing at that same time, that have posted comments about this. I think with age comes wisdom, so my advice to him would be grow up, and do your job to the best of your ability, and I feel you would do very well if you revamped your show to allow the audience to hear your music and make that connection, then the $$$ would follow.

[tiggerlover]

To ASONGULOVE:

 

Nice try at a self defense here, but you failed. Many folks on the recent Glory Cruise (and on this board) were annoyed with your incessant solicitation of tips....it's not the fact that you shouldn't get tips...it's how you go about it. And to ignore a request because a tip was not attached is just plain tacky. No other Piano Bar entertainer on Carnival does it this way, and neither should you. They take requests, play the songs, sing, invite the crowd to sing along, and then in most cases they are rewarded.

 

Quite frankly I find your approach offensive. As far as talent is concerned, I think you are a good entertainer, play the piano well, but your singing is average as far as piano players go...so don't get too full of yourself and use that as your justification for your tacky approach. In fact, you are the first Carnival Piano Bar entertainer that I have never tipped (because I was offended by your approach), and I have seen many of them in our extensive cruising experience.

 

So, if you can stand some self criticism, you might want to re-evaluate your approach. Try to stand on your talent and stop pi$$ing people off...( in addition to lying about your approach that various posters have witnessed and commented on), see what happens.

 

 

 

Thank you for your response. I feel better now that i know that it WAS arrogance that I sensed in this guy and that this is not the norm for a Piano Bar performer. If I thought that maybe I judged him too harshly earlier, my opinion was confirmed when he posted his reply. Thanks again for speaking up! :)

[Sandgnat]

Thank you for your response. I feel better now that i know that it WAS arrogance that I sensed in this guy and that this is not the norm for a Piano Bar performer. If I thought that maybe I judged him too harshly earlier, my opinion was confirmed when he posted his reply. Thanks again for speaking up! :)

His replies are a complete opposite as to what occurred on this sailing. The constant talking about tipping occured more than the singing. NO I did not tip this player because I got nothing of service from him. He actually was a waste of time the time we were in the room.

 

I did tip Damian on the Destiny this week, he was very entertaining and played the crowd. We had the best time.

[CwuzCwazy]

I was also on the October 11 Glory cruise, so these folks were not seeing things....it was exactly as described by the OP and others on this thread. I doubt he'll show up on this thread again now that he has been "called out". And for all his claims of his Vegas & NY shows etc......Dude! You work on a Cruise Ship!!!! Not exactly the pinnacle of the entertainment industry.

 

Folks need to write to Carnival about this guys lack of class and his annoying solicitaion of tips....get him canned so he can go back to Vegas & NY.....yeah, that's the ticket!

[pmang]

Dude! You work on a Cruise Ship!!!! Not exactly the pinnacle of the entertainment industry.

 

 

Just when I thought I was out….. You pulled me back in.

I take serious offence to what you just said. To demean an industry’s importance on your narrow minded scale is insulting to the thousands of talented performers working on every cruise line (not just CCL). I cringe whenever Simon Cowell says similar things. Would you say the same thing to the Doctor or Nurse on board? Just a thought….

[sk8rpatty]

Just when I thought I was out….. You pulled me back in.

 

I take serious offence to what you just said. To demean an industry’s importance on your narrow minded scale is insulting to the thousands of talented performers working on every cruise line (not just CCL). I cringe whenever Simon Cowell says similar things. Would you say the same thing to the Doctor or Nurse on board? Just a thought….

 

As a friend to a couple of the entertainers, I took offense to that comment as well. I know how hard you guys work and have the utmost respect for what you do. I know I could never do it for one hour, let alone 4 hours a night, 6 nights a week. Ignore the stupid comment, it is not the opinion of most of us here.

[ASONGULOVE]

thanks pmang & sk8rpatty.

 

but what do i know. i just work on a cruise ship...

 

 

 

as porky pig once said... "that's all folks"...